As early as this summer, Sierra Village will offer 44 affordable homes with easy access to bike lanes and sidewalks in the rural community of Dinuba. This apartment rental community will not only bring an affordable housing option to hardworking low-income families, but it will also feature a vanpool program and other transportation improvements, solar and water conservation features — all of which are designed to reduce GHG emissions.
It’s an example of an exemplary project funded with Cap-and-Trade dollars through the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program, which will improve the health and quality of life Dinuba residents.
Led by Self-Help Enterprises, the development responds directly to community needs by addressing gaps in transit connectivity, improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians and providing much needed affordable housing.
“Paired with meaningful transportation improvements, such as traffic calming measures, sidewalks, bike lanes and vanpool services, Sierra Village ensures quality housing opportunities while reducing GHG emissions,” Self-Help Enterprises President/Chief Executive Officer Tom Collishaw said.
The Sierra Village project includes one-, two- and three-bedroom residences to accommodate a range of family sizes and will offer a large community center with a full-service kitchen, computer lab and common laundry room. Sierra Village includes solar energy, helping to ensure long-term affordability for residents and result in a grid-neutral zero net energy project.
The AHSC Program is unique in that it provides an opportunity for affordable housing developers to collaborate with transit providers and other partners to create integrated housing developments. For example, Sierra Village will broaden the transportation resources available to residents, including reduced/free transit passes and the opportunity to participate in an on-site vanpool program.
“Sierra Village was a starting point for us to holistically look at affordable housing with really meaningful transit infrastructure investments,” Self-Help Enterprises Program Director of Real Estate Development Betsy McGovern said.
Self-Help’s work with the California Vanpool Authority on the Sierra Village development led to a blossoming partnership that will continue to expand vanpool access to a broader ridership, she added.
Sierra Village is currently under construction. The development is on track to be completed in July 2018.
More information on the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program